Guwahati: The Supreme Court on Tuesday postponed until October 15 the hearing of a batch of petitions concerning protests in Delhi, the closure of metro stations and disruptions to train services ahead of the October 10 demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The hearing was deferred after Justice V Mohana fell ill, although she attended the proceedings despite her health condition.
At the beginning of the hearing, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant informed the lawyers that Justice Mohana was unwell. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested an adjournment, stressing that her health should be given priority. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan and other lawyers also supported the request.
The three-judge bench, comprising the CJI and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, was scheduled to consider several petitions, including a contempt plea alleging that authorities had violated the court’s directions concerning metro and train services ahead of the October 10 protests.
Mehta informed the bench that the Centre had been given until Tuesday to submit its response to the contempt petition, which accused the authorities of disregarding the Supreme Court’s direction against a complete suspension of metro and train services ahead of the demonstrations.
“The affidavit is ready. I would like to add something to make it more comprehensive,” Mehta told the court.
The bench extended the deadline for filing the affidavit and directed the Centre to provide a copy to the lawyers representing the petitioners.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had assured the petitioners that their cases would be listed after several pleas were mentioned before the three-judge bench for urgent consideration.
“We will list all these matters. Make sure that the defects are cured,” the CJI told Sankaranarayanan, who had sought an urgent hearing.
The senior advocate had pressed for an early hearing of a contempt petition filed by a journalist, alleging non-compliance with the Supreme Court’s October 11 order.
In that order, the apex court had said that people gathering peacefully should not be illegally detained. It had also asked the Centre to ensure the normal functioning of Delhi Metro services and prevent disruptions to internet services, subject to law-and-order requirements.
Delhi has witnessed a series of protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The petitions before the Supreme Court concern the measures taken by authorities ahead of the demonstrations, including restrictions affecting public transport and the handling of protesters.